October 23, 2011

Footloose, A Lesson in Voice: ROW 80 Check In

I've been looking forward to the Footloose remake ever since it was announced, back when Zac Effron from High School Musical was attached to the project. Footloose was one of my favorite movies as a teenager. So much so, it's featured as one of Krista's favorite movies in Depression Cookies.

As I sat there with my middle school daughter, memories swirled and I missed my youth. Okay, I felt old. Plus, it was surreal to be watching the same movie I saw as a teenager with my preteen. Did I say I felt old?

In a post earlier this week, I asked readers to help me with voice. Specifically, "Do you think your voice has changed much since your teenage/young adult years? How so?" Most commenters agreed the voice doesn't drastically change, but the focus does.

I remember Footloose being a fun, teenagers-teach-adults-something movie full of dancing and great music. The remake struck me differently. I'm a mom now, and I found myself focusing more on the parents and their grief, the unbearable loss of their own child, than the kids and their dancing. Again, surreal. I still enjoyed the dancing and music, although I think the original had better music, but I got teary-eyed several times. Never felt like crying watching Kevin Bacon strut his stuff in the original.

So there you go, embracing life taught me something about writing. The priceless extra... I spent a fun afternoon with my preteen daughter.

Quick update on my A Round of Words in 80 Days progress:

Writing
Results: I'm working on it, and Mom just sent me another chapter to respond to, so I'm hoping for an excellent writing week.
Reaction: This week has been more research than novel writing, but I've written a new book review and blog posts, so all is not lost on the writing front. Still exercising those writing muscles.

Depression Cookies blog
Results: Posted daily and twice one day.
Reaction: Feeling good. I'm really proud of how far this blog has come in the six months I've really been focusing on it.

Mom in Love with Fiction blog
Results: Posted three times this week.
Reaction: Best week ever for this blog! More exciting reviews and book musings to come.

Miscellaneous
Results: A few pages into Becoming a Writer. I'm enjoying getting around to ROW80 blogs, but would love to visit more. So exciting to see how many people are participating and checking in!
Reaction: Need to focus on the craft book, and would love to read and comment on 20 blogs between now and Wednesday. Wish me luck.

Hope all my fellow ROW80 participants are having a stellar writing week!

For a bit of fun: What favorite movie from your teen years would you like to see remade?

5 comments:

Annalise Green said...

Congratulations on doing great on your goals! Glad to hear that the Footloose remake is a good movie. Since Footloose is one of my favorite movies, I was prepared to be skeptical, but it sounds like something I would enjoy.

Julie Glover said...

That's interesting how perspective changes. I recently rewatched My Brilliant Career. I remembered loving the main character's intensity and ambition when I saw it in high school. This time around, she seemed a bit selfish to me - not caring about the impact on family and friends.

For a good remake from my teen years, maybe Gremlins, The Last Starfighter, or Poltergeist. The newer special effects might be good with those movies. Plus, I liked them, but didn't love them so much that a remake would feel like cheating.

Tia Bach said...

Thanks, Annalise. I was prepared to be skeptical, too, but seeing my daughter love it was all I needed to let my guard down.

Julie, great movie suggestions. You make a good point... better to remake the "less stellar" movies or ones who need updated graphics than to tackle my all-time favorites like Sixteen Candles.

Thanks for the support!

Vicki Keire said...

That's a really interesting point about Footloose- I haven't seen it yet, but I've had similar experiences with my own junior high daughter. We'll rewatch films together that I loved at her age and when we talk about them later, sometimes it's like we've both seen completely different movies. It can be sweet, but oddly displacing too.
Good work with your goals!

Tia Bach said...

Thanks, Vicki! Perspective really is everything, isn't it? ;-)